Surprising? Perhaps, perhaps not. But is it true? I'm not sure there's any way to know. Unless you're on the staff, how would you ever know?

I hope the book gets released:

Then I hope some NBA refs sue the publisher and and the scum who wrote it. After this article there is no way the refs can get their credibility back, ever. And IMO, it is totally unjustified. It is a shame that in our society today some 2-bit gambler who is in hock up to ears and in jail, who had a great life and threw it away, can ruin a lot of other people in a "tell all" book that gets accepted as biblical truth by a bunch of cynics and frauds. And that we have media like ESPN, who makes money from both ends of the deal.

Some of you guys write like you have no clue. You write stuff about these people having no integrity, or comparing these refs to a mayor in Utah. Your cynicism plays right into the hands of all kinds of sports fans, and other people who should know better, who believe that officials cheat for some people and against others.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS?

Without going into too much arguement, it means that the next time you are on a floor, or a field, and make a controversial call at the end of a game, people who see the game will assume you are just like those NBA refs. You can't be trusted either. that kind of stuff feeds down to all levels of sport, and it is destructive to sport, just like the attitude is destructive to our country.

In a small local HS forum I follow, almost every week there is somebody complaining about how the officials cheated at the local game. Recently one of them said: "I know some people who are officials, they told me they are just in it for the money, they have no integrity."

Is that what you want your reputation to be? Is that how you want to be known.

You obviously haven't been paying attention to the news. The publisher canceled the book, but not before some excerpts leaked out. They probably realized they had a book that had zero creditibility and didn't want to open themselves up to lawsuits that could result. That was some inflammatory libelous stuff in there.

The Next Jose Canseco ???
 

What if Donaghy is the next Jose Canseco? Few people believed Canseco, yet, as it turned out, he was right on the money. Canseco told us about cheating players. Donaghy is trying to tell us about cheating officials.

As my grandmother used to say, maybe Donaghy is, "Full of prunes". Or maybe he started the next major sports controversy topic since steroids?

True, or false, it's worth looking into.

No, I read the thread
 

Ref Ump,

Sorry I think you are wrong. The cat is already out of the bag, whether the book is out or not. In this day and age, nobody gets the benefit of the doubt in pro sports, as our good friend BilleMac so clearly shows for all of us int he post just above this. It is clear to him: Book comes out, must be true, they are corrupt.

Most people think like him, not like officials.

I always thought the TrailBlazers- Lakers series was partly fixed for the lakers. Some of the calls then were absolutely absurd and totally turned the series around and I wasn't even a blazers fan.-- when the Blazers had Pippen, Sabonis etc. Kings fans whined about their own series with the Lakers for years.
He really is putting up things that he knows will get strong reactions. Yeah, I know the guy is a loser and so is Jose but unfortunately I'm not willing to rule out that what he is saying is false. After the Jordan Bulls years the ratings were down for a while and I just have my suspicions that the business side was put first and there were lapses in officiating that might have been directed from the top and/or done by refs who have been around for years and know extended series means more drama and better ratings.

Interesting Perspective.....
 

I once heard Helen Thomas, White House Correspondent, give a speech. She said, "Never believe a rumor until it's officially denied."

Sad and pathetic little man. Out for a fast buck to pay off his insurmountable debt. I would hope the excerpts aren't true, but at this point, does it really matter? The opinions and perception of the public at large, not to mention the players and coaches, are tarnished forever. Personally, this crap makes me ill.

I have no doubt that there is some truth hidden in this book though. I seem to remember an "outside the lines" a few years ago talking about inappropriate interactions between players or coaches and NBA officials. Free gear, autographs, attendance at charity events, etc. Caught the ire of several politicos too, as well as a plethora of former NBA officials. Could make for some quite interesting fodder . . .

That's your interp of BM's post? It's not how I interpret it.

I'm with BNR, you read BillyMac wrong.

I made that comparison, not about the refs. I made it in comparison to "the league" saying that they'd investigate the allegations of their own wrong-doing. I'm not saying whether I believe or disbelieve the allegations, only that there can be no credibility if the NBA does their own investigation.

If there is to be a credible investigation, it has to come from a respected, independent, outside body. It has to be done with complete transparency, allowing everybody to see all of what is uncovered. It has to address all of the allegations.

I couldn't agree with you more. The NBA is launching an investigation, but you're right. It should be a respected, independent, outside body. However, there won't be any transparency in the investigation if it's a private body, because transparency could open the NBA and the investigate body to lawsuits if someone were to disagree with their findings.

I realize that. That's why it will be nearly impossible to ever get a credible answer to the allegations. No matter who investigates, unless all the data is put out there for everybody to see, some group or another will proclaim the investigation to a be a whitewash or a witch hunt or whatever because it doesn't validate their beliefs.

As with most unsubstantiated rumors, I'm willing to bet the stuff I read is based on fact, but embellished for effect.